The purposes of the study are to identify the relationship of sensory information and information on danger-controlling behaviors to the level of distress experienced during dental surgery, and to identify any interaction effects between type of information given and level of preoperative anxiety on patient distress levels. A. Subjects: Approximately 80 subjects undergoing gingivectomy at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry periodontal clinic will be chosen for study. Subjects must meet specific criteria as to age, physical health, lack of surgical complications, etc. Subjects will be randomly assigned to one of the experimental conditions. B. Experimental conditions: A 2x4 factorial design will be used. The factors will be defined as two levels of presurgery fear (high and low) and four levels of preparatory information (sensory information, information on danger-controlling behavior, combination of sensory and danger-controlling information, and control informatioj). All preparation will be provided on the day of surgery. C. Dependent Variables: Patients' reactions to surgery will be measured by a 10-point Likert-type distress scale and a mood adjective checklist measuring positive and negative moods. These measures will be made by the patient after the surgical procedure. D. Analysis: Analysis of variance techniques will be used to estimate the main and interaction effects of the independent variables upon level of distress during surgery. Investigation of these variables will help provide nursing (and other health disciplines) with a basis for selecting information to provide patients as well as to increase our understanding of human reactions to and coping with stress.